A collection of unrelated one-shots exploring various 'what if' scenarios. #25: What if… Castle and Beckett hooked up at Ryan & Jenny's wedding?

(Fr) - Someone who starts building something with no clear plan, adding bits here and there, cobbling together a whole while flying by the seat of their pants. Post Series Finale - A series of connected one-shots, of life in progress, the way we see it.

On the brink of divorce nearly two years following the events of 8x01, Beckett uproots her life in New York to move to Los Angeles, where Castle lives now, to try to repair what she broke. Season 8 AU.

Nothing else exists in this world after Kate Beckett utters the words, "Castle, if we were getting married " with that open, adult look in her eye. AU set during 4x11: "Til Death Do Us Part"

When Kate Beckett sublets a new apartment, the last thing she expects is to meet Richard Castle's spirit. Based on the film "Just Like Heaven."

She's fidgeting. She knows she's fidgeting, but she can't help it. He probably doesn't remember her.

He put together a fundraiser in honor of her mother because he loves her, and she's been working so hard in therapy to get to the point where she can wholly love him back. She's not quite sure she's ready to say the words, but she knows she's ready to show him. One-shot.

What happens if Castle does the one thing everyone tells him to do, Grow Up. An AU after '47 seconds'.

Kate Beckett seeks advice from some luminaries. Caskett, oneshot.

(S3 AU) "Brattleboro, Vermont?" Beckett asks. "Yes, ma'am. I'm calling because you're listed as the emergency contact for a Richard Castle. I'm afraid we have some bad news." *COMPLETE*

"Because he's supposed to be..." In love with her. Wait, had she said that out loud? An AU fix-it for 4x5 "Eye of the Beholder."

He only needs to keep seeing her. To listen to her stories. He doesn't need to tell her about his missing book, because if he can only hear her brisk, uptown tones then the story is going to be there. He only needs to keep her near. AU, shortly before 1.1

It's new and tentative, this thing between them – sharing beds and lives and progressively larger pieces of their hearts. A different take on the events of 3x22 through 4x01. One-shot.

She jumped in, ready never to look back. She just lost everything she's supposed to care about, but she only cares about her partner. And now, she's ready for the relationship she's truly wanted. (Immediately post-Always AU) *COMPLETE*

"So, I was thinking, I'm still kinda wired, don't really want to go home yet. Want to go somewhere, grab a drink, decompress?" AU for the end of "Countdown."

Castle's a wreck after the shooting, struggling with his feelings for Kate while navigating her months-long lack of communication. He reluctantly enters therapy at his daughter's request and starts to put the pieces together - until he bumps into Kate at a coffee shop. Reeling with betrayal, he puts their partnership on hold. Canon until Post-Knockout. COMPLETE.

A Castle Ficathon Winter 2017 entry. I borrowed most of the bones of this piece from a prompt (too lengthy to include here), with thanks: Set following events of late season 4, Kate and Rick are no longer partners. In fact, Kate hasn't heard from him in months, but that doesn't mean she's ready to let go…if his heart is still open to her, that is.

A series of Christmas themed one shots, each a glimpse into a minimum of ten previously written stories.

'She tortures herself on the walk through the airport, wonders how he's spending his Thanksgiving this year.' AU set post 5x24, 'Watershed'. Two shot for Thanksgiving.

"Her eyes flash with something he recognizes as more than just anger, her pupils dilate and he can practically see the spark of heat flow through her body. It makes him brave." Season 2 AU in which Kate shows up to the loft after having read page 105. Second entry for the Castle Pornado.

She learned long ago that loving was worth running the risk of losing it. A hard-won, uphill battle to open her heart and demolish those walls. But she just had her own son, the light of their new life together, stolen from them. With the fight to get her son back, those walls are coming back. (COMPLETE W/ EPILOGUE)

Photographer Kate Beckett and aspiring novelist Rick Rodgers are perfectly content in their solitary lives. But it's only after an unlikely matchmaker conspires to have them meet that they realize how extraordinary their lives could become. A Castle AU for Summer Ficathon 2016 co-written by airbefore and caffinate-me.

"I want to forget," she replies, weary sadness dripping through her voice. "I just want to forget. Just tonight." She raises her face to his for the first time. "Kiss me. I'll never see you again after tonight, so kiss me." An AU meeting, for the Hallowe'en Bash 2017.

Twelve weeks. All Kate Beckett needed to do was survived twelve weeks as the assistant to the surly, unkind, and downright unpleasant writer. The position was temporary, so she could make it. She had, after all, faced far worse than Richard Castle…or had she? Caskett AU

'She doesn't know where she is, only that he isn't here, that amidst all of the pain surging through her veins, she's more acutely aware of the harsh emptiness in the middle of her chest. She can't determine if it's because the bullet shattered her heart, or if it's because he took it with him when he left.' A Castle Halloween Bash 2017 entry. Set post 3x24, 'Knockout'.

Beckett overhears Castle telling Demming that there's no flag on the play, which comes on top of an unsuccessful stay at the loft and a case which reopens a less-than-pleasant time in her past. AU of the second half of S2. Please see warning inside.

"Castle." His lashes rise, nearly graze hers in their ascent. She's never been this close before and yet, somehow, she still doesn't feel close enough, still wants so much more. "I love you." He looks mesmerized, intoxicated, but so sharp with need. Her thighs squeeze at his hips. "Now take me to bed." Insert for 'If You Wait', set between chapter fourteen and fifteen.

Sometimes, people come together in the most incredible of ways. Caskett. Inspired by the musical "Come From Away." One-Shot

She doesn't understand what happened between them, why it all went south. And at the touch of a hand it all comes rushing back to her, a wave of heavy emotion hitting her directly in the chest. Her eyes fall shut and she knows she's showing her hand, her heart, but god, she could have sworn they were headed somewhere five months ago. Probable Cause (5x05) AU

Castle's adventurous and creative courtship of Katherine Beckett. Just like Castle, Andrew Marlowe and his band of cronies have wooed us into playing in his adventure park. Thanks for your inspirational characters and for letting me hang around the sand box. Set during season five.

A post ep. 2x24 story, based upon a prompt I happened upon which had its author hoping to read about Rick and Kate's weekend in the Hamptons that never was, one that began as platonic but became a bit more.

Set during 4x01 "Rise". AU from the bookstore signing scene. One-shot. COMPLETE

She shocked him when she walked out on him seven weeks ago. She can surprise him in a positive way by showing up now. An 8x07 insert. COMPLETE.

Set during 4x19: "47 Seconds." Goes AU after Castle overhears Beckett tell Bobby Lopez, "I was shot in the chest and I remember every second of it."

Beckett's investigation into LokSat takes a sudden dark turn. A post 8x02 AU fic.

Beckett is suddenly writing letters, and so is Castle. Complete.

A heavily medicated Beckett, recovering from her shooting at her father's cabin, starts texting. Set in the summer after 3x24 "Knockout." Complete.

Set during 4x01: Rise. Castle strode past the diner's long bank of windows as quickly as his legs would take him. A bead of sweat trickled down the middle of his back despite the cool of the evening. He was desperate to get inside. Kate's father had called him not a half hour ago and he couldn't get there fast enough.

Summary: At the end of every struggle, there is life. The story attempts to fill in some of the questions left unanswered.

Collection of one-shots. "The blinking cursor stared at him from his computer screen, mocking him. Every time it appeared felt like an order. Write, write, write… The blank page on the notebook next to him wasn't helping, either. He liked to have it close by, so he could switch back to pen and paper if he was in a more traditional mood."

Post-ep for 3x13 "Knockdown."

In a moment of darkness, Richard Castle receives an interesting-and life-changing-message from a fan. Set after an AU ending to 3x24

Folded in his embrace she recognizes the fallacy of her acceptance as she comes to realize she has only been half-living, has been missing something so vital it couldn't be put into words... A companion piece to the wonderful story 'Flashlight,' written by l03l. Story starts in the exact moment and scene where Flashlight ends.

Kate Beckett spent the summer recovering from having been shot, and hasn't spoken to Rick Castle in months. When she comes back to work, she finds that she has an unexpected rival. And she's going to fight. Complete.

Kate Beckett is an extraordinary woman, so Rick Castle is going to woo her in an out-of-the ordinary way. Set in season 4, beginning immediately after 4x10, "Cuffed." Complete.

Set about two years into the future (hypothetical season 10), apperception is having a full understanding of an event because of the conditions that inspire it. A story roughly prompted by tumblr's one-writer-girl: "Beckett tries to win them back."

"If Tyson wants to play, he can play with her. Alexis will come out of this intact if it's the last thing Kate Beckett does." Season 4 AU. TW for violence, assault, recovery, and mature themes.

Post 2x18 Boom! Due to the circumstances, Kate moves into Rick's apartment and they begin a friends with benefits relationship.

"No matter what you do, no matter the obstacles that arise or the mistakes either of us make, I'll never be able to give up on us." After nearly two years apart, Castle and Beckett attempt to find their way back home in time for the holiday season. A season 8 AU.

My 1st ever entry for the '2014 Ficathon Entry'. Based on @Fembot77's prompt. All gratitude for Castle goes to Marlowe/ABC; I own only my own words in random order. It's been a long, fun, exciting ride. THANKS for your kind words, reviews, and friendly correspondence. You, dear readers, are awesome human beings. Estou feliz que eu fiz você se sentir fortemente. Muito obrigado!

Seeing Richard Castle for the first time in a decade? Yeah, she could totally handle that...right? (Rick & Kate met in college AU)

I came as (character A) and you came as (character B) and well, look at that, (character A/character B) is both of our OTP. A co-authored story between myself and ivyandtwine. Two shot.

Castle realizes that he needs to come clean about prying into Beckett's life again after he discovers something he can't justify keeping from her. Set during Season 4.

Always with an addition. Based on a prompt from the Castlefanfic blog and written for #CastleFanficMonday

Three-shot set after "Cop & Robbers" but before "47 Seconds". "Hey. Did we get a body?" he asks the second she answers. "And good morning to you." He can hear her smile as she speaks, rightly chiding him for his lack of manners and any proper greeting. "Sorry. You're right. Let me start over." He takes a deep breath, pauses and then smiles. "Good morning, detective." COMPLETE

After two more close calls and the beginning of a confession, Kate can't deny her feelings for Castle any longer. Still, diving into something new with her best friend and partner isn't as easy at she'd like it to be. This is a journey through the end of season three and how the C/B relationship might have developed if Kate had broken up with Josh after Countdown.

In the middle of 4x21, "Headhunters," an angry Beckett confronts Castle at home. First two chapters are rated Rated T, but the final one is M. Three-shot. Complete.

A twist on Beckett's interrupted confession at the end of season two.

AU. Castle and Beckett meet during the bank robbery in Cops And Robbers. After the events of Montgomery's shooting, her own, and breaking up with Josh, will Beckett still learn to let Castle in? COMPLETE.

Eight years later Richard Castle is found, and it's no longer his ring on her finger. AU from 6x23 "For Better Or Worse".

Castle steals a police horse. The arresting officer is none other than Kate Beckett. "You got yourself up there and now you're going to get back down. I want you to concentrate. Carefully lift your leg over its flank, then slide to the ground. Preferably without breaking anything. Or losing that blanket. No one wants to see your bare ass swaying in the moonlight. Least of all me."

Castle Summer Hiatus 2015 Ficathon Entry. Castle's first time at the Becketts' cabin, summer after season four.

Post-ep for 2x24 Beckett deals with the aftermath of Gina showing up at the precinct and then leaving for the summer with Castle. She makes great efforts to move on with her life, and then disaster strikes. "Make. Me. Care." She uttered the words one last time in a tissue thin voice, as cruel, embarrassing tears coursed down her cheeks. "Too late, Kate. You already do."

Castle made it clear that he couldn't watch her drive herself into the ground and she wasn't about to ruin his graduation celebration with his daughter to tell him he was right. :: 'Always' alternate

Because fate exists in every universe.

"Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing." An AU story for Christmas.

"It's really nothing," he winces, "except it's something and, okay, I need your help." #ThankYouTerri

A single chance meeting can change everything. AU. Cover art by ournorthstars.

"Castle, Castle wake up." Their joined hands wiggle against her belly in her efforts to rouse him. "Castle, we got married last night," she hisses. - A Season 4 AU that starts mid-4x08 (Heartbreak Hotel) based on a tumblr prompt. Caskett.

"The moment hits them both squarely on the chest. Images from the last hour flicker between them; hot, sweet memories they know will never completely fade, no matter where this takes them." Every second of the wondrous, magnificent things that happened between "Beckett, what do you want?" and "Made you a coffee." Post-Always. Now complete.

A thoughtless remark from Beckett makes Castle give up on them ever becoming more than partners, and he leaves. Without being able to talk to him, Beckett must convince him that he's wrong about her feelings.

My entry into the "Summer 2014 Ficathon." Based on 6X5, Katherine Beckett is a US Senator, as predicted by Simon Doyle. She lives between New York and Washington DC, Richard Castle and their three children have remained in New York City. As before, DC brings new and greater challenges. A story of angst. The unanswered question is, can they survive?

His chest heaves beneath her, staccato gasps echoing in the darkness of his room. Post-Always. Complete.

And as much as he tries, as desperately as he wants this experience to be filled with nothing but joy and positivity for her, he knows that in the end, there are going to be these moments of emotional pain that he can't shield her from. All he can do is hold her, curl his body around her and their baby and hope his love is enough.*Complete*

"There will be a later, there will be plenty of time to do everything she's ever dreamed of with him, but now – right now she just wants him." A continuation of the 'Always' deleted scene.

When Kate gets into a car accident, the outcome of her injury is retrograde amnesia – she doesn't remember her life after 2008. Rick, as a result, is left to deal with the consequences of his wife's memory loss while she comes to terms with their life together. Based on a gifset by veraflynns on tumblr. 2014 Ficathon Entry.

An M rated one shot to bridge the gap between chapters fifteen and sixteen of Jane Doe, although I suppose it could also work as a standalone fic.

He spends a week in the hospital.

It started in a club and then ended like this. Reeling from a break-up, Kate Beckett is most definitely on the rebound. But what she gets instead is something she never imagined. AU

Alexis didn't survive 'Hunt' and Castle never returned to New York. 5 years later he is back.

"And the last thing I need is to watch someone from my past trying to seduce my fiancé while talking about the goddess that lives in her hoo-ha." - Kate Beckett. Seriously, how could I not write something about this?

How many chances will the universe give you to be with the love of your life? And how will you keep screwing them up? Caskett angsty AU.

Post-47 Seconds. 'Kate stands several feet away from Castle's spot at the far end of the bar, hands jammed into her pants pockets, fists curled up tight with her short nails digging half-moons into her palms while the writer studiously tries to ignore her. "You're angry." "You think?" His voice is harsh, dripping sarcasm.

Kate is at mandatory police training and Castle gets into trouble while researching a story. Can the 12th save him in time? This story is a continuation of "The Call" (rated M) and is now finished. Thanks for reading.

Waking up to the sound of his voice is intoxicating. Makes her feel safe. She'd know his voice anywhere. She'd always hear him... even now... when his heart is shattered... (Sometime early S6 - No spoilers) - COMPLETE - {2014 Castle FanFic Writer's Guild Winner - Fav. T Rated Multi-Chapter}

S6 opening fic. Mild spoilers. "Javi, I can't come back. I have my work here and…" she sighs, lowering her voice. "We agreed on a break. I just—It's too soon," she tells him, embarrassed to admit what a screw-up she's made of everything; the fairytale romance so many people were gambling their happy ending on turned to ordinary shit by her hand.'

Seriously, this just isn't fair. She so rarely has a day off in the middle of the week, and instead of spending it lounging in bed with her, all her delicious nakedness aligned with his, he has to sit through Black Pawn meetings. Happy Birthday, AC!

He never thought it could hurt like this. AU for 5x05, "Probable Cause."

In that one moment, he knows he's ruined.

Follow-up to 'Midnight Blue Yearning' now that baby Jackson is home. Fluff and nonsense. "She's rubbing vanilla-scented lotion into her hands and arms as she approaches, and Castle lifts his head from the book he's reading when he catches a waft of the delicious candy apple scent, trailing her with his eyes as she walks around the foot of the bed to her own side to climb in."

"Kate smiles at him, a trembling, fearful thing just for him. It fills him up. She may as well have said yes. Because she's going to work on it. For him. He's soooo going to marry Kate Beckett." - - - Set sometime in late 2013 and beyond. No spoilers. **Now Complete**

Still reeling following his daughters kidnapping, Castle can't cope, and it could mean the end of his relationship with Kate. Disclaimer: The characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, not to me, though I wish they did because I would definitely have them kissing with the lights on!

If it were possible for time to stop, for the earth to pause in its spinning, it would happen for them on this night. The hours between "Always" and "After the Storm." Now complete.

My post-"Always" fic. Castle & Beckett in bed after their first time.

It finally happened, but do things ever work out as planned? How will our favorite couple cope with each other when they must flee and are hidden away from all that they know for her safety? Immediately follows 4x23. Now Complete.

The title says it all. Co-authored by Sandiane Carter and chezchuckles. Spoilers for season four, but as you will see, quite a lot of it is. . .missing.

"Did you ever think about us here?" - Post Finale, Castle and Beckett stop by her apartment for the first time since she showed up at his door.